Paranoid: Exploring Suspicion from the Dubious to the Delusional - Softcover

LaPorte, David J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1633880680 ISBN 13: 9781633880689

Verlag: Prometheus Books, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

From the pathological killer who gunned down the innocents at Virginia Tech to the average citizen who suspects the government is monitoring phone calls, the signs of suspiciousness and paranoia are all around us. In this comprehensive overview of an increasingly serious problem, an experienced psychologist and researcher describes what paranoia is, how and why it manifests itself, and the many forms it takes, including stalking, pathological jealousy, as a reaction to post-traumatic stress disorder, and perhaps even militia movements. 

Using striking vignettes from the present and the past, each chapter illustrates specific manifestations of paranoia while also describing in layperson’s terms the clinical analysis of the condition. Among the topics discussed are the evolutionary origins of our “suspiciousness system” and factors that can trigger it today, the connection between illicit drug usage and paranoid behavior, PTSD, violent expressions of paranoia, and options for treating various kinds of paranoia.

The author emphasizes that life in post-9/11 America is a fertile environment for paranoia; in an era of computer hackers, omnipresent security cameras, NSA surveillance, and terrorism, “normal” people have good reasons to be suspicious as their sense of security and privacy is undermined. But in such an insecure atmosphere, everyday suspicion can easily be ratcheted up, resulting in paranoia and occasionally violent outbursts. He warns of a possible epidemic of paranoia and suggests public health measures that could be used to counteract this potentially dangerous trend.

Whether you consider yourself susceptible to paranoia or know others who might be, this enlightening book will help you understand the many factors that can distort your mental outlook.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

David J. LaPorte, PhD, is a professor of psychology and director of clinical training in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or coauthor of seven book chapters and more than twenty professional articles, has testified in court as an expert witness on many occasions, and has done dozens of media interviews on syndicated radio. His research has been the subject of articles appearing in major magazines including Glamour, Jump, and Allure as well as Today.com.

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Paranoid

Exploring Suspicion from the Dubious to the Delusional (No, This Book is Not About You)

By David J. Laporte

Prometheus Books

Copyright © 2015 David J. LaPorte
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-63388-068-9

Contents

Foreword by Dr. William T. Carpenter, Jr., 9, 
Preface, 13, 
Acknowledgments, 15, 
Introduction: Why You Need (Really Need) to Read This Book, 17, 
Chapter 1: Meet Paranoia, 19, 
Chapter 2: Inside the Mind of Paranoia, 37, 
Chapter 3: Kinds of Paranoia, 51, 
Chapter 4: Where Else Do We Find Paranoia?, 73, 
Chapter 5: Where Does Paranoia Come From?, 83, 
Chapter 6: The Engine of Paranoia: The Suspiciousness System, 95, 
Chapter 7: Drugs and Paranoia, 103, 
Chapter 8: Other Ways to Turn on Paranoia, 115, 
Chapter 9: The Monster with the Green Eyes: Jealousy, 131, 
Chapter 10: Treating Paranoia, 159, 
Chapter 11: Paranoia and Violence, 179, 
Chapter 12: It's a Paranoid World We Live In, 213, 
Chapter 13: What Can Be Done about the Paranoia Problem?, 255, 
Appendix 1: List of Common Paranoid Features, 261, 
Appendix 2: Conditions and Substances Causing or Contributing to Paranoia, 263, 
Appendix 3: Types of Dementias, 265, 
Notes, 267, 
Bibliography, 287, 
Index, 293, 

CHAPTER 1

MEET PARANOIA

The content of the 911 call was not remarkable for a large metropolitan area. A man reported that someone had been killed in a drug-related shooting. What the operator found unusual was his calm, matter-of-fact manner.

When the police arrived at the scene that afternoon, they, too, were struck by the serious but strangely composed demeanor of the middle-aged man who answered the door. He escorted them to an upstairs bathroom where the body of a young woman lay slumped next to the tub, and provided details of what had happened and why.

Without any discernible change in expression, the man explained that the woman, who had been renting a room in his large Victorian home, had recently fallen in with what he called "the wrong crowd." According to the homeowner, she and her drug-dealer friends had been planning to murder him, so he had simply killed her first.

When an officer asked what led him to conclude that his life was at risk, the self-confessed killer provided a litany of "facts." For instance, he had overheard the muffled, one-sided telephone conversations in which the woman was surely plotting his death. She had also received suspicious letters cleverly disguised to look like ordinary advertisements for magazines or credit cards. "But what proof was there that your life was in imminent danger?" the incredulous policeman asked. Smiling slightly for the first time he motioned for the officers to follow him into the young woman's bedroom. There he showed them a hairbrush lying on the dresser.

"You see the position?" he asked. "It is usually placed with the handle pointing toward the front. Today, the handle was pointed away!" Seeing the quizzical looks on the officers' faces, he provided further explanation. "They positioned it that way last night to signal her that today would be the day."

He then offered the rest of his so-called proof: the garage door across the street had opened and closed twice that morning, indicating that the plan was in motion. Then there was the green minivan that had cruised slowly down the street.

Once the signs had become clear to him, the man retrieved the gun he kept between his mattress and box spring and calmly went to the woman's bathroom and shot her point-blank.

The police could perceive no hint that the man was putting them on. As bizarre as his story and explanations sounded, his delivery was utterly flat and straightforward, as if he were describing a mundane, everyday occurrence such as taking out the trash.

Finally one of the officers asked the obvious question. "If you thought your life was in danger, why didn't you just call the police?" A hint of a knowing smile crossed the man's face again as he replied, "The drug dealers have infiltrated the police department. I couldn't trust that anyone there would protect me."

An elderly woman believes that thieves enter her room every night to steal her possessions. A student, who had borrowed notes from a classmate for a lecture he missed, thinks that some of the pages have been removed purposely so he will fail the upcoming exam. A woman who recently emigrated from Afghanistan is certain that people are continually laughing at her and talking behind her back. A member of the Tea Party describes burying guns vertically in his backyard so they will be less easy to sense with metal detectors.

You may not be familiar with those particular cases, but what about these? Timothy McVeigh, a young Gulf War veteran, tells a friend that the army has implanted a computer chip in his buttock in order to keep track of his movements (no pun intended). Ted Kaczynski, a brilliant mathematician, conducts an eighteen-year vendetta against mere acquaintances and people he's never even met because he thinks he is being controlled and harmed by modern technology. John du Pont, a reclusive multimillionaire, has razor wire installed inside the walls of his mansion to prevent people he suspects are tunneling under his estate from reaching his living quarters. While we're at it, let's not forget Seung-Hui Cho or Jared Loughner, mentioned above.

What all these individuals have in common is paranoia: the topic of this book. Each of them is unduly suspicious about the intent and actions of others and feels that someone has it in for them.

As should be obvious from even the brief descriptions presented above, each of these people exhibited paranoia in somewhat different ways and, perhaps, for different reasons. The object of this book is to describe the many facets of paranoia, to provide explanations for how it comes about, and to address the potentially serious consequences of paranoid feelings and beliefs. To illustrate this information, I am including actual case examples I have personally seen, as well as cases provided by trusted colleagues (no paranoia here).

A primary assumption of this book is that most of us have experienced the feeling we commonly label paranoia at least once in our lives, and most of us have also known someone who was paranoid. In some of these cases, we may have had a legitimate reason to distrust the motives and intentions of others, but many of us will still question our assumptions before passing judgment. We often seek verification of our suspicions, sometimes by asking others whether their perceptions of a given situation are similar (Am I paranoid, or is Ray always smirking when I say something during meetings?). If the answer is yes, then we may conclude that our feelings of suspicion were justified because they were confirmed by another, possibly more objective, person.

Clinical paranoia isn't simply a mistrust of others until or unless they are proven wrong; it is the extreme end on a trust continuum. Unfortunately, individuals who suffer from clinical paranoia feel that their conclusions are justified and will often point to confirming evidence that seems quite real to them although utterly erroneous to the rest of us. Therein lies part of the difference between what most of us may refer to as paranoia and the extreme versions that mental health professionals are trained to identify.

As this book will describe, responses to and consequences of paranoia can range from healthy situational adaptation to...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Prometheus Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1633880680
• ISBN 13: 9781633880689
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 300
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Simon and Schuster Netherlands BV, GPSR Europäische Union; info@simonandschuster.nl; ; Herculesplein 96; Utrecht; 3584 AA; Niederlande